1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to foldable umbrellas and hats, and more particularly to foldable umbrella hats which can also be used as fans.
2. Description of Related Art
Over the years, a wide variety of devices have been utilized by people in an attempt to keep themselves dry outdoors when it is raining, or to shade themselves when it is sunny. Common devices include umbrellas and wide brimmed hats. Umbrellas perform the precipitation-protection function very well under many circumstances and can be collapsed into a moderately low volume configuration. However, many umbrellas require that the user use his or her hands to maintain them in a proper position. Large brimmed hats can also be advantageous; however, they are difficult to store properly and transport from place to place when not needed to protect the wearer.
Various collapsible head coverings have been disclosed which combine the advantageous design features of hats and umbrellas. Examples of devices generally related to this art include U.S. Pat. No. 213,415 (Sun-Helmets) issued March 1879 to Halvorson; U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,147,872 (Head Covering) and 2,147,873 (Head Covering) issued February 1939 to Wittcoff; U.S. Pat. No. 2,412,415 (Combination Umbrella and Cape) issued December 1946 to Navon; U.S. Pat. No. 2,495,041 (Beach or Sun Hat) issued January 1950 to Weiss; U.S. Pat. No. 3,441,038 (Canopy Assemblies) issued April 1969 to Mathews; U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,765 (Device for Protection Against Inclement Weather) issued July 1969 to Slaton; U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,371 (Umbrellas) issued January 1982 to Koon; U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,916 (Umbrella Hat with Elastic Peripheral Components) issued June 1987 to Orsini; France Pat. No. 787,503 (Hat for the Beach) issued September 1935 to Pretot; and Swiss Pat. No. 787,503 (Device for Protection Against Inclement Weather) issued August 1968 to Slaton.
These devices suffer two significant drawbacks. First, even the most compact of the disclosed devices is still so large in its collapsed position that it requires being carried in a large handbag or briefcase. No collapsible head coverings are disclosed which are designed to be carried comfortably in a user's pocket.
Further, no known collapsible head covering is designed to accomplish any additional function which would be advantageous. Specifically, none of the current art head coverings are designed to function as a fan. It is well known that fanning oneself to cool off is particularly desirable during periods of oppressive, high humidity. It is also a well known scientific principle that precipitation occurs during periods of high humidity. Thus, people are most likely to need to fan themselves before or after a rain shower. It follows that it would be advantageous to have an umbrella which also functions as a hand held fan so that a user does not need to carry both.
Therefore, a need still exists for a collapsible umbrella hat which can also be used as a hand-held fan. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.